Humbly Yours by Val Crawford

ABBA FATHER, Thank YOU for another chance. Thank YOU for a new opportunity to share with another about YOUR Wonderful Grace and Compassion toward us! And now FATHER, YOU be Glorified by the words that come from this writing - in the matchless Name LORD JESUS!

Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding; ...

Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.  Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.

Proverbs 4:1; 5-7 (NKJV)

Getting It!

A moment of transparency... I don't like Math.  I don't have a problem with Addition or Subtraction, Multiplication, or even Division. But Algebra and Geometry? Either I'm reading a book or completing a Math equation. I don't need letters in my Math! And now? The things that they are doing to our children in the name of Math - oh my!

Now... PLEASE - don't be offended by my attempt at humor! Don't write Cindy and offer to tutor me or to pay for me to attend Sylvan learning center. I am okay... and if your new way of doing Math gets your checkbook to balance at the end of the month... KUDOS to you! I am just 'borrowing' Math for my illustration because when it comes to Advanced Maths, Trigonometry, Common Core... I just... DON'T Get It.

When I was a child and in school back in the day, every chapter of my school books had a quiz section to test and reinforce your comprehension. But one day, I recall discovering something wonderful! Some of our books (particularly my M-A-T-H book) had - hidden behind the glossary - an answer section! You could actually look back there and get the answers to those wretched Math questions!

But I had a problem - three really:

Problem 1 - The back of the book only gave me every other answer;

Problems 2 & 3 - My Teachers and My Mother - INSISTED that I work out my Math problems to show HOW I got my answer! The NERVE! If I didn't know better, one might think that they didn't trust me to not... cheat! And the fact of the matter is that they all would have been spot on! I WAS planning on… utilizing less than honorable tactics in the acquisition of my responses.

I didn't get it. The answer section was not there to help me to cheat. It was there to help me - once I worked out the problem on my own - check my work and, if it was wrong, redo it before my Mom reviewed it or Mrs. Morgan graded it. Stealing the answer from the back of the book would never have helped me to understand how to do simple things for myself. The fact was Mom and Mrs. Morgan were not the enemies of my recreation. What they wanted was for me to get "an understanding".

I think that is what King Solomon is trying to relate to us through Proverbs 4 when he urges us to "Pay attention... Get Wisdom and in all your getting, get Understanding!"

I was sharing with my Cousin Beloved one evening after I went to hear him speak. I made the comment to him that, "You have really 'learned' me some things!" He laughingly corrected and teased me about our SouthEast DC origins, "No matter what we've done in life or how far we go, we're still from SE, right?" My reply made him chuckle, too: "No sir! You could be 'teaching' me til you turned blue, and I wouldn't get - no - you LEARNED me some things!"

I think that is what Solomon (and Mom and Ms. Morgan) want for us - to more than just 'hear' a lesson. To be more than just taught but to be 'learned'. To more than just hear what our Pastors, Teachers, and Elders are trying to impart but to be motivated by their wisdom. Then, because we have invited and allowed the wisdom to sink in when life issues come upon us, we will have a clear understanding of positive next steps.

Wisdom is the primary thing, so in all your getting, get understanding.


Val Crawford
Contributing Writer